<p>I had already enrolled myself in syracuse… when I read a really disturbing article. It went indepth about syracuse’s recent drop in ranking and the school administrations reaction to it, which caused me to want to reconsider. So I want to ask people here on CC for their opinion of Syracuse (ranking #55), Pepperdine (#53 but it’s in malibu!), and University of Miami (#45). I want to major in public relations and marketing, which is in the communication/business sector. For syracuse I got into info studies, but I’m pretty sure I will be able to transfer into newhouse next year…for miami and pepperdine I got into their communication schools… although for pepperdine I’m doing rhetorics and leadership major, while U of miami I’m doing communication studies, but they both seems to have a pretty simple procedure for changing major once I’m there. :)</p>
<p>oh and the article about syracuse had to do with it making all the rich students pay full and giving tons of scholarship out to poor students who aren’t that ready for college, in order to achieve economic as well as cultural diversity in the university, which dragged down the ranking because a lot of those scholarship students aren’t as capable (27% latino got accepted this year!!) I don’t have anything against them… but I feel it is highly unfair to students paying full that people with possible lower grades are getting full rides or substantial scholarship money. And those same people are pulling the school’s ranking down for those who payed full! I’ gladly pay the full tuition and much more if I knew the money was going to my education but…><</p>
<p>@JeniChang: i really hope you’re a ■■■■■. this post is disgusting.</p>
<ol>
<li>You’re obsessed with rankings. College is about opportunities, not a number which really doesn’t matter if it isn’t somewhere in 1-10. Yeah, people from Harvard will get a bump for the name, but you probably won’t get any serious bump for UMiami that you won’t get at Cuse. Cuse has very active alumni who offer great opportunities. </li>
<li>Diversity is important at colleges. If people are all homogeneous, rich people whose parents can all pay >$50k/year, no one will ever learn. Many of those kids have much less potential than those less fortunate kids who are accepted and given an opportunity to flourish. Actually, Cuse has a much higher retention rate for members of the HEOP program than the extra-rich. </li>
<li>“which dragged down the ranking because a lot of those scholarship students aren’t as capable (27% latino got accepted this year!!)” Are you seriously suggesting that anyone who is Latino is incapable? That’s absurd.</li>
<li>“I feel it is highly unfair to students paying full that people with possible lower grades are getting full rides or substantial scholarship money.” If someone can afford to pay in full, they really don’t need a scholarship. That kid can attend with or without merit money. A kid who has possibly more potential, has made it through an urban public school, and is probably 300x more motivated to have a better life is a much better investment, especially when that kid won’t be able to attend without a lot of help be it merit or financial aid.</li>
<li>“And those same people are pulling the school’s ranking down for those who payed full! I’ gladly pay the full tuition and much more if I knew the money was going to my education” the money is going to your education…if you don’t want to attend a great school because it also accepts kids who aren’t rich, head on over to Pepperdine. Seriously, please don’t attend SU. There will be lots of Latinos and some black people, even some Jews (CRAZY, I KNOW!!) and I wouldn’t want you to have to suffer through that as you continue to worry about the admissions process far after it has ended and you’ve been accepted. Please attend elsewhere.</li>
</ol>
<p>You should definately NOT attend University of Miami. It is full of Latinos whom you think ‘incapable’. Yet they have 3.9 GPA, 1320, and ranked 10% of their highschools.</p>
<p>i’m sorry… those weren’t my opinion… i was pretty much quoting the article… I tried finding the link but forgot where I saw it… i DON’T think latinos are stupid… in fact I’m big on charity and am an organizer of a charity group here in china… I just put that extra in because I read it after I enrolled and want people to varify…</p>
<p>I’m glad that you clarified your position. Diversity is valued highly at American colleges, and is an important part of the experience, wherever you go.<br>
On a different note, transferring into Newhouse is very difficult, and not something you can count one. You should be sure that you will be happy with the I-school or Whitman (which is somewhat easier - just getting a 3.3 last year insured internal transfer and there was no limit on the number of transfers.) UMiami is an excellent communications school and they also offer a dual degree with their business school so you would be able to carry out your plans definitely.</p>
<p>@JeniChang i think you are completely ignorant. I am not even latino and i find your remarks completely embarrassing. People like you saying comments like that really set us back. Your in for a reality check when you go to one of these colleges and see the diversity that clearly you haven’t been exposed to, you will be surprised to see what latinos can offer, and maybe what you didn’t think about was maybe they were accepted for their leadership skills etc which are really the successful people in life, NOT the brainiacs who lack personality, charisma, and sadly the real traits of true success which i’m sensing you clearly lack too. I’m really glad you were accepted to these universities because maybe then you will learn a bit more about thinking before you speak. @VengeanceSpirit i agree completely, thats great advice for Ms. @JeniChang OH and i find it completely comical that you write " i DONT think latinos are stupid" yet the next line you write i’m big on charity. I dont think they’re going to need much of your charity while their getting an education their working hard for while proving confused people like you.</p>
<p>"In recent years Syracuse University has decided to make its undergraduate student body more “diverse” and “inclusive"code words for racial preferences that translated into a freshman class for the fall of 2010 that was 30 percent black and Latino.” Is there anything wrong with a freshman class that was 30% black and latino? 29% of our country is black or latino. This might be surprising to the author, but there are actually plenty of smart black and latino people.</p>
<p>“26 percent eligible for federal Pell grants…Pells are usually proxies for students of lower-tier socioeconomic status, many of whom are ill-prepared for college-level work, and, according to a 2009 report from the National Center on Education Statistics, drop out of college at higher rates.” Why does the author seem to hate pell grants? There’s also some nice misrepresentation of facts in here. Perhaps many people who qualify for pell grants aren’t prepared for college-level work, but those aren’t the people who are accepted to SU. The author also fails to realize that the national retention rate is different than the retention rate at SU, which is extraordinarily high for pell grant students resulting from the HEOP program.</p>
<p>“Minorities such as blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, and Pacific Islanders are disproportionately overrepresented in the Pell population.” So? I could’ve sworn I was signing up for an education, not a country club. Hmmm maybe the remedy to the problem we have with poor people being disproportionately minority races MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH LETTING THEM GET AN EDUCATION so they can end the American poverty cycle. It’s almost like education is connected to jobs, which are then connected to increased socioeconomic status. Crazy idea, right?</p>
<p>The author then goes on to make some absurd comparison between SU and Harvard, as if the fact that “Syracuse isn’t Harvard” means that SU shouldn’t even attempt at having an interesting, diverse freshman class. </p>
<p>I like the direction Syracuse went this year where it made increases in BOTH diversity and selectivity, which should be the real goal.</p>
<p>Thank You J Chang. You questions about drop in rankings because of increased diversity at Syracuse have developed an interesting thread. I did not want to pay $55,000. for my D to go to a rich white school. But will pay it for her to go to a racially, culturally and economicly diverse school.</p>
<p>Thanks Momom2 for the link to the article. My son is starting Syracuse as a freshman this year so we’ve had an above average interest in this CC forum. This particular thread has been interesting to read and affirms Syracuse will be a great place to grow and learn (despite the weather!). I just explored the site where the article was posted. Their first essay under the “Politics” header this week is quite telling: it defends the Koch brothers, wealthy funders of the Tea Party and extreme right wing causes. So to all concerned about the validity of the article, simply consider the source.</p>
<p>@Syracusebound…she doesn’t recruit for sports, although she has been seen, all orange’d out, the softball and basketball (girls) teams of my friends! She’s also encouraging another kid into playing LAX. If they had a baseball team, I do blv my options would be limited to Syracuse, Syracuse and Syracuse! </p>
<p>She, and her friends from SU, are a pretty die-hard bunch. SU is a religion and the color orange is everywhere. Yep, I had orange yarmulkes at my Bar Mitzvah.</p>
<p>If you need help, message me and I’ll ask her.</p>
<p>@Chargers2012…So your mom recruits for students? </p>
<p>I personally am so proud to be from Syracuse, I cheer them on for everything.I love SU sports.Especially lacrosse. I am generally front row cheering them on the whole game. I am going to have to agree that SU is a religion, I bleed orange.</p>
<p>@orangem12…okay SU has always been my dream school ever since I can remember.Do they offer good financial aid and what is the admission process like? What do they look for?</p>
<p>I’m taking my son for our visit on Friday. It is likley going to be HOT and stormy. :o(
I hope this doesn’t turn him off. I’m going to try to keep my personal views to myself (for a change) and not bias him in any direction. But I really hope the weather and there not being many kids around, as it is summer, won’t have a negative impact. I am really rooting for him to like SU. Everything I’ve heard is so positive!</p>
<p>**WooHoo!!! Just checked weather.com and the rain forecast is GONE!! Just hot (but not as hot as KC) and humid.</p>
OH and i find it completely comical that you write " i DONT think latinos are stupid" yet the next line you write i’m big on charity. I dont think they’re going to need much of your charity while their getting an education their working hard for while proving confused people like you.</p>